Fed. Circ. Judges Stuck On Drug Efficacy's Role In Patents

By Dani Kass

A Federal Circuit panel struggled Thursday to pin down where the line is between patent enablement on cancer drug patents and U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, as a Pfizer unit tried to revive its $107 million jury victory over AstraZeneca.

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Judge Wants States To Outline Live Nation Antitrust Remedies

By Matthew Perlman

A New York federal judge asked state enforcers on Thursday to outline the remedies they intend to seek from Live Nation, along with the discovery they expect to need, before deciding a schedule for the next steps in the antitrust case against the major live entertainment company.

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Blue States Say Trump Admin Can't Duck Energy Order Suit

By Keith Goldberg

Blue states have urged a federal judge to keep alive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency, saying every action that's been taken by federal agencies to fast-track nonemergency energy activities flows from that order.

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6th Circ. Tosses Ohio's Out-Of-State Wine Limits

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Sixth Circuit has struck down as unconstitutional Ohio's restrictions on out-of-state retailers' ability to sell wine directly to consumers in the Buckeye State.

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Dems Press Big 3 Bureaus On BNPL Credit Reporting Gaps

By Sarah Jarvis

Democratic U.S. senators are calling on the "Big Three" credit bureaus to explain how they're adapting their consumer credit scoring and reporting to account for buy-now-pay-later products, citing concerns about inconsistent tracking of a fast-growing source of everyday purchase financing.

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Ill. Congressman's Aide Charged With COVID Relief Fraud

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois congressman's deputy district director is facing federal fraud charges for allegedly securing fraudulent unemployment insurance funds through a program implemented as part of the government's COVID-19 pandemic relief effort.

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Calif. Man Gets 2½ Years For Swindling $2M From Ill. Investor

By Celeste Bott

A California man has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for bilking $2 million from an Illinois investor through a fraudulent scheme in which he promised a substantial return but instead spent the money on personal expenses, including luxury vintage automobiles.

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AstraZeneca Reps Fight To Keep Opt-Ins In Pay Bias Suit

By MJ Koo

Female pharmaceutical sales representatives in an AstraZeneca equal pay suit have urged an Illinois federal court to reject the company's bid to dismiss two dozen opt-in plaintiffs for refusing discovery, saying the women feared retaliation and career consequences.

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Bowlers Sue Lucky Strike Over 'Starbucks Of Bowling' Tactics

By Elaine Briseño

Lucky Strike has been engaging in a yearslong anticompetitive scheme to acquire rival bowling alleys across the United States so it can drive up costs and increase its own profits, while diminishing the experience of bowlers, a group of customers has alleged.

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Conn. Diocese Settles Abuse Defense Suit Against Travelers

By Danielle Ferguson

The bankrupt Norwich Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp. has reached a settlement with its insurer in a Connecticut state court lawsuit alleging the insurer improperly bailed on defense coverage for a sexual abuse case just days before the start of a trial.

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Alston & Bird Adds Ex-Katten Corporate Pro In Chicago

By Kevin Penton

Alston & Bird LLP has added a capital markets attorney previously with Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP as a partner in its Chicago office, the firm announced Thursday.

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Surveying The CFTC Campaign To Control Prediction Markets

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is simultaneously asserting exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets and signaling aggressive enforcement within them, a combination that will reshape the regulatory landscape for event contract platforms — pending the outcome of several court cases throughout the country and a likely circuit split, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

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Series

Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

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Womble Bond Atty's 'Draconian' Penalty Gives 4th Circ. Pause

By Hayley Fowler

A Fourth Circuit panel seemed to struggle Thursday with what one judge described as a "draconian" contempt order against a Womble Bond Dickinson partner, with the panel nudging counsel for both sides toward a simpler solution that wouldn't force the court's involvement.

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Ex-Jackson Walker Atty Seeks Breakup With Romance Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A former Jackson Walker LLP partner said Thursday that she should be dropped from a suit accusing her, a former Texas bankruptcy judge she had a secret relationship with and multiple law firms of fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court.

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SEC Fines Ex-BigLaw Atty For Insider Trades On Apollo Deal

By Hailey Konnath

A former Buchalter PC shareholder has agreed to pay $71,625 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations he purchased stock ahead of Apollo Global Management's $1.5 billion acquisition of Bridge Investment, which the commission said he was representing in an unrelated matter at the time.

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Comey Retains NC Criminal Defense Pro For 2nd Indictment

By Rachel Rippetoe

Former FBI Director James Comey has added a North Carolina white collar defense pro to his legal team fighting an indictment by the Trump administration over a social media post last year that prosecutors characterized as a threat of violence against the president, according to a court filing on Thursday.

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Judiciary Panel Punts AI Rules, Mulls Judges' Survey Results

By Jeff Overley

Buckle up: Efforts to modernize evidentiary rules amid artificial intelligence fears are getting bumpy, as judiciary advisers Thursday agreed to dramatically delay action while digesting an AI survey of nearly 1,000 judges and organizing a symposium of litigators and tech pros.

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Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

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Analysis

How Litigation Funding Disclosure Could Affect ITC Cases

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. International Trade Commission's proposed rule to require disclosure of litigation funding in intellectual property cases could bring more transparency to disputes and promote settlements, but it could also discourage some suits if it's not carefully tailored, attorneys say.

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NC Judge Tosses Atty's Suit Against State Bar Panel Member

By Andrea Keckley

A North Carolina federal judge dismissed a suspended attorney's lawsuit against a State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission member he accused of bias and due process violations, finding Thursday that the defendant is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity.

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Analysis

Why Compliance Is Getting Complicated In Latin America

By Phillip Bantz

White collar compliance is getting trickier for companies that do business in Latin America, according to experts, who say they are seeing big shifts in the region connected to cartel crackdowns and efforts to strengthen corporate regulations, including relatively recent pushes for voluntary self-disclosure.

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